Unofficially, the number of death in this flood had gone up to 36 while the official toll stood at 19.

Sources said in Lakhimpur district alone, the silt was more than waist high in about 20,000 houses. Howver, an expecting woman and her husband were rescued from the roof of their house yesterday after five days.

The situation is even grim at Dhemaji and Lakhimpur district as the communication had snapped following breaching of the Matmora embankment last night, an official source.

The embankment constructed at the cost of nearly Rs 50 crore was swept away by the flood thus inundating the Dhakukahana and Majuli river island, that cover more than 150 villages.

The situation was equally bad in the entire Barak valley. Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi's chopper could not even land as Hailkanadi, Karimganj and Cachar districts were submerged.

However, the rainfall, in terms of intensity and distribution, had decreased comparatively during the past 24 hours over the NE region following which the water-levels of the river have receded negligibly.

The Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) sources here said though there was heavy rainfall in Assam and Meghalaya during 24 hours overall the flood situation in the state is expected to improve further within the next two to three days.

There is a possibility of rainfall or thunder shower at a few places over the NE region in the next 24 hours, the weathermen forecast, adding that the sky in the city and its adjacent areas would remain generally cloudy with a few showers in next 48 hours.

Central Water Commission (CWC) sources here said the Brahmaputra was overflowing at the three gauging stations at Guwahati, Goalpara and Dhubri this afternoon.

At Dibrugarh, the river was found maintaining a steady trend, while it was receding at Neamatighat and Tezpur.

Meanwhile, the State Revenue Department has sanctioned Rs 12.95 crore to the flood-affected districts and sub-divisions of the state.

It may be mentioned here that in the second wave of floods the department had released Rs 19.99 crores.